AylerKupp: <HeMateMe> I fail to see how playing in a few events would inflate anyone’s rating. True, a smaller number of games would result in a less reliable rating since if a player has a good tournament his rating might be higher than if he played a larger number of games so that his overall results might be more statistically correct. But he would have an equal chance of having a poor tournament and having his rating drop below what it should be.

And, given that playing in a smaller number of events makes you rusty, I would say that the chances of having a poor tournament are then higher than your changes of having a good tournament, unless you play in so many events that exhaustion has an effect.

Clemens Scheitz: He is one of the most likeable guys out there, I don't have a problem with the "lion" or the "hammer", just don't insult him by calling him "Lemon Erronian" anymore. And also, don't get jealous if you see him on the dance floor.

HeMateMe: At the Russian tournaments they always have a pair of hot chicks (even twins, sometimes!) at the drawing ceremony, in sexy formal evening gowns. Very traditional, gives a bit of maturity to the event. That would be my one suggestion for the Rex, is bring on the hot chicks for opening ceremony night, let them hold the container that has the white/black configurations and they could also give out the h'orderves at the party, if that was acceptable to all parties.

Karposian: <HeMateMe: That would be my one suggestion for the Rex, is bring on the hot chicks for opening ceremony night, let them hold the container that has the white/black configurations and they could also give out the h'orderves at the party, if that was acceptable to all parties.>

Your old-fasioned, patriarchal suggestion of reinforcing gender stereotypes at Sinquefield Cup does not get my approval.

We already have all this ridiculous cheerleading in this country reflecting our sexist culture. Let's at least keep chess out of our misogynistic way of doing things.

HeMateMe: Of course I was just kidding. Still, you'd rather look at a 5-10 model in a sleek black gown, or MVL? The way they do it in Russia, and in some Europe events, is to show the chess event as a sort of presentation, entertainment. The hostesses reinforce this by being well dressed, giving the opening ceremony/party a sort of night club look.

Maybe they could start giving out a gift bag of sponsor's products, like at the Oscars, in Los Angeles?

AylerKupp: <Sir Ruthless> I would think that if Topalov, or anyone else, played more games their rating change would be related to how well they played. If they played well, their rating would go up. If they played poorly, their rating would go down. What is conjecture is anticipating how well they would play if they played in additional events. If they played in a lot of events to the point that they would be exhausted, I would think that their play would be poorer and their rating would go down (but, again, that is pure conjecture).

So then the best approach to increase your rating (providing, of course, that your playing strength is greater than your rating indicates) would be to play enough games to avoid getting rusty and not so many games that one gets exhausted. And that happy point varies from individual to individual as well as the circumstances.

Overgod: On a side note: I 'finally' managed to beat this extremely difficult opponent (of mine), who's 2100+ on playchess. I put finally in quote marks, because I have beaten him before. But this was a while ago now. Lately he's improved a lot and I really, desperately wanted to beat him just one more time.

Here's the deal: I have winning records against 2800+ players, 2600+ players, 2500+ and 2400+ players, etc, and the other day I crushed a 2100 about 15 games in a row, but against this guy, I lost at least 10 games in a row. It was 3 min, and most of the time I lost horribly in less than 30 moves or so.

He didn't beat me on time. He just crushed me positionally and tactically. You might be thinking that he could be a much stronger player who just has a 2100 rating (or is using that account) -- which is what I thought also.

But I analyzed all the games played, and he wasn't playing anything out of the ordinary. Against him I just kept making terrible choices (admittedly some of it was out of pure frustration and humiliation). Psychologically I was just demoralized.

Maybe he was just having a great run or something, I don't know, but I became obsessed with him. I added him to my friends list, just so I can issue a challenge (to all players) as soon as he logs on, knowing that he would be most likely to receive it based on the challenge criteria.

My main account he actually stopped playing against, because he must have gotten bored of beating me so many times, so effortlessly, it seemed. So I made another account, and logged that one in, as soon as I saw him on.

He had beaten me on that account several times in a row also, but today, on this fateful Autumn morning, I finally beat him in a superior endgame, where he graciously resigned after I made a queen. We were both low on time, but there was no way I was not going to win that one. I'm an excellent bullet player.

You don't understand how relieved I am to finally have beaten him. I was questioning my life, my values, my purpose, my existence. I was ruminating about the teleology of the universe, and whether or not it brought him into my world, just to teach me a lesson in humility.

I haven't showered in days either. I just wanted to beat this (excuse my French) bastard just ONCE, and get on with my life. My work, my hygiene, my responsibilities, etc, were all put on hold because of him.

I'm not proud of this, I admit. But for what it's worth, I can get on with my life again.

Overgod: Another note: I also know that he's not using an engine. I meticulously checked all the moves played in several games, and he's definitely not an engine user. He does play good, strong, consistent moves most of the time. Some of them are engine's first choice. But many of them are decent moves, which the engine is okay with, but doesn't recommend as top priority. Further, he would have long ago been banned had he been using an engine. He plays frequently, and playchess is very good at detecting cheaters.

Still, the way he beat me, was just mind boggling. I tell you I've had longer and more comfortable games versus Houdini, than against him. I found myself totally lost out of the opening several times. My king side was routinely smashed open and my position was embarrassing. In all my years on playchess (including playing against engine cheaters, who seem to be more forgiving than him and are easy to detect), I have never had such difficulty winning against somebody as against him. I mean the other day I beat a 2800 player with black, in 23 moves!!! And it was quite an easy win for me. But this particular player, just plays in a way difficult for me to adjust to. I find myself on the defensive from the get go, and when I play aggressively against him, I'm almost always punished.

Makavelli II: The top 20 players are still dominating each tournament. I thoroughly enjoyed this particular tournament more than the recent candidates which more than half of these players played in. My spider senses tell me Kara may cause Carlsen SERIOUS problems.

Caleb554: Grischuk beat both Carlsen and Caruana. He beat Anand as well. Had 3 losses in this Sinquefield cup. Always felt Grischuk under-achieved at the top level. Could have achieved a lot more with bit more stability and hunger.

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